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ST. PAUL -- UND has a pair of Hobey hopefuls. Senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux and junior forward T.J. Oshie are two of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, the committee announced today in St. Paul. It is the second straight year UND has had a finalist. Last year, forward Ryan Duncan won the award, which goes to college hockey's top player.

ST. PAUL -- Jean-Philippe Lamoureux is set to break UND's single-season school record in save percentage. Alex Kangas is set to break Minnesota's single-season record for goals-against average and save percentage. Richard Bachman is on pace to set Colorado College's single-season record for goals-against average and save percentage. St. Cloud State's Jase Weslosky has a considerably better goals-against average and save percentage than his predecessor, Hobey Baker Award finalist Bobby Goepfert, ever had.

Once again, the final seconds were hairy. But this time, the UND men's hockey team held on, and the Mustached Men are headed to St. Paul. The Sioux staved off a furious onslaught by Michigan Tech in the final seconds to earn a 2-1 win, lifting UND in the decisive third game of the first-round Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff series in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The finish was reminiscent to the game a night earlier, when the Huskies got a fortunate bounce to score a game-tying goal with 5.5 seconds left.

A month ago, Bryce Christianson was playing junior hockey in a small, British Columbia town. The 21-year-old goaltender was picked up by Alaska-Anchorage during Christmas break; and when he made his first collegiate start Friday night, an old buddy was there to welcome him. Childhood friend and Anchorage native Evan Trupp scored a highlight-reel, game-winning goal on Christianson to help lift UND to a 3-1 win over the Seawolves in front of 11,549 in Ralph Engelstad Arena.

J on Merrill was 14 years, 8 months old. Cam Fowler was 14 years, 9 months. And Colten St. Clair hadn't turned 15, either. Too young to drive a car, too young to watch R-rated movies, but they are the futures of three college hockey programs. In a trend that concerns some coaches and parents: players as young as 14 - eighth- and ninth-graders in high school - are being recruited, receiving scholarship offers and verbally committing to colleges. Merrill (Michigan), Fowler (Notre Dame) and St.

The best 1991-born Minnesota hockey player according to USA Hockey committed to UND on Wednesday night. Nick Mattson, a 16-year-old sophomore defenseman from Chanhassen, Minn., called the Sioux coaching staff and told them he will play for them beginning in 2010. "North Dakota kind of matches my personality," Mattson said. "I'm a small town kid. I just really felt comfortable with the coaching staff and facilities.

After two seasons of slow starts and struggles at home, the UND men's hockey team coined a phrase for its objective this season. "When we're in our own barn, we always want to push the other team back on their heels," T.J. Oshie said. "We use the term 'push them through the Zamboni doors,' which is their end in the first period. I think that's what we did tonight." The Sioux left little doubt about that.

The lobby of Ralph Engelstad Arena had been packed for at least 20 minutes. Everyone was waiting for UND coach Dave Hakstol to address the crowd, which gathered to welcome the team back from its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Frozen Four. Hakstol, the leader of all three of those teams, was making his way to the podium when a young fan stopped him. Hakstol turned toward the boy, paused and listened. "Make sure you smile!" the boy told the 39-year-old coach. During his tenure at UND, Hakstol has become known for his stoic, never-changing expression on the bench.

A look at the stat sheet may go a long way to explaining UND's slow starts the last three years - none of those teams retained their top two scorers from the previous season. The last time that happened was 2003-04 when Zach Parise and Brandon Bochenski returned for the Sioux. That team started the season 18-2-2. Four years later, UND once again has its top two scorers back. And the talk among Sioux players this week has been surrounding the team's first goal of this highly anticipated season - getting off to a good start.